Chefs, Artisans Join Subscription Services Trend
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Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) — Though the Post Office is struggling as mail volume continues to drop, curated subscription services continue to expand their offerings, with hot chefs being the latest to hop on the trend of creating monthly home deliveries.
According to Eater, chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of Los Angeles restaurants Animal, Son of a Gun and Trois Mec, will be offering a selection of favorite condiments, kitchen mixtapes and other foodie finds via Quarterly Co. beginning next month. The mystery selections will arrive in subscribers’ mailboxes every three months for $50 per box.
And they’re not the first cooks to enter the subscription category. Food Network star Tyler Florence recently began tailoring selections of his favorite cooking tools and other items for Fancy Box, which counts actor Ashton Kutcher and model Coco Rocha among other curators.
“Our lives have become so planned, predictable and controllable, so I think the element of surprise hits a strong emotional chord for consumers of subscription services,” said Josh Rubin, founder of Cool Hunting, who curates a design-focused subscription for Quarterly Co. He himself subscribed to graphic designer and author John Maeda’s Quarterly offering “because he’s a bit of a hero for me.”
From beauty samples (Birchbox, Glossybox) to BBQ sauce to high-end stationery and paper goods (see Olive Box), it seems there are no limits to what subscriptions people will sign up for.
“I’m a big car guy, so I think having a different car in the garage every day would be delightful,” added Rubin.
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